Voters in Ireland will be going to the polls in May to cast their vote on liberalising the country's restrictive abortion laws. The Irish Government has formally backed proposals to hold a referendum on the state's constitutional amendment on abortion by the end of May. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said Ireland…

Manchester has become the second local authority in England to vote to ban anti-abortion protests outside clinics. Councillors in the city agreed on Wednesday to "take all necessary actions within its powers" to stop what it said was the harassment by protesters against women using the clinics. The motion, proposed…

The introduction of what is believed to be the UK's first ever buffer zone to stop anti-abortion protesters from gathering outside an abortion clinic has come a step closer. A cabinet of Ealing council unanimously voted to begin a public consultation on whether introducing a public space protection order (PSPO)…

New laws could be introduced to protect women from being harassed and intimidated at abortion clinics, the Home Office has said. Home Secretary Amber Rudd has ordered an in-depth assessment of protests outside family planning clinics following concerns about the tactics used by some demonstrators. The review aims to gather…

Women in Scotland are to be the first in the UK to be allowed to take the abortion pill at home. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has been lobbying to change the law in the UK and welcomed the development. Scotland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Catherine Calderwood has written…

A challenge at the UK's highest court over the legality of Northern Ireland's strict abortion law has concluded. Seven Supreme Court justices in London will give a ruling on the controversial issue at a date yet to be fixed, but thought to be early next year. The Northern Ireland Human…

Northern Ireland's strict abortion law criminalises "exceptionally vulnerable" women and girls and subjects them to "inhuman and degrading" treatment, the UK's highest court has heard. A QC told a panel of Supreme Court justices in London on Tuesday that human rights were being breached, with those affected being forced to…

Women on low incomes from Northern Ireland who seek a free NHS abortion in England will also receive state support to pay for their travel costs, the Government has announced. Those who meet defined financial hardship criteria will be eligible for the measure, Justine Greening said. Ms Greening, the Secretary…